Force feed lubricator



Patented Sept. 17, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE" Application June 10, 1933, Serial No. 675,211

13 Claims.

This invention relates to lubricators and more particularly to a lubricator of the force feed type.

In a fluid pressure brake system, an air compressor is employed on the locomotive for supply- 5 ing fluid under pressure for controlling the brakes on a train. The air compressor in common use is of the cross-compound'type, having two air compressing pistons, two steam pistons for operating the air pistons, reversing valve mechanism for controlling the supply of steam to the two steam pistons, and a governor is employed to control the supply of steam to the reversing valve mechanism according to the pressure in the usual main reservoir.

Heretofore, it has been customary to provide lubricant for the steam actuated parts of the air compressor from the automatic lubricating system employed on the locomotive for supplying lubricant to certain moving parts of the locomotive, but it has been found, that with this system of lubricating the steam actuated parts of the compressor, the lubrication is excessive under certain conditions, while under other conditions the lubrication is inadequate.

Along with the above described type of lubridirectly to the actuating piston in the usual steam governor, but this is desirable in order to prevent unnecessarily rapid wear of the parts of the governor.

One object of my invention is to provide an improved force feed lubricator particularly adapted to steam driven air compressorsand operative, at all times, to provide lubricant of the proper type and in the proper amount to the difierent operating parts of the compressor and'to the compressor governor.

Another object of my invention is to provide an improved force feed lubricator having a plurality of separate oil supply chambers for carrying different types or grades oflubricant adjustable pump means in each of saidchamb'ers for periodically pumping oil-therefromto thepoint of use in predetermined quantities, and a single member for operating the plurality of pump means.

Another object of myinvention is to provide a force feed lubricator which is simple in con struction and easy to maintain. 7

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following more detailed description of the invention. ;5,=

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a ver-, tical sectional view. of my improved lubricator; Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the lubricatortaken on line 2'-2 in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is 'a sectional view of the lubricator taken on the line 33 in Fig. 1; 1.07. Fig. 4 is a sectional view of a portion of the lubricator, similar to Fig. 1, but showing a portion of the interior operating mechanism in full; Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the lubricator taken on the line 5-5 in Fig. 2; Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6-5 of Fig. 2; Fig. 7 is an enlarged View of a check valve seat construction employed in the lubricator; and Fig. 8 is an'enlarged sectional-view of a check valve device asso ciated with the lubricator discharge pipes, as 20,.

are disposed in chamber 4, allof said pumps being 7 preferably equally'spaced apart.

The casing'is provided at the bottom of cham 3' bers 5 and 4, with apertured raised portions 1 corresponding in number and disposition with the oil pumps 6. The'lower end of each of the oil pumps 5 is mounted on one of the raised portions 'l, a sealing gasket 8 being interposed between .9-

each pump and the respective raised portion.-

Each of the pumps 6 is secured to the respective raised portion 1 at the bottom of the casing by means of a nut 9 having an extended threaded portion H], which from the outside of the casing 55 is inserted through the raised portion liand screwthreaded int-o the bottom of the respective pump.

For holding the pumps 6 in position while applying the nut 93, a dowel M is provided in the lubricator casing adjacent each pump and'projects into a suitable bore provided in an earlike extension I2 projecting from one side of the pump body.

The post-like portion 5 at the center of the dividing wall 2 is provided adjacentthe upper end with an outwardly projecting flange l3, and car- Each of the pumps 6 comprises'a body having-in the lower end a bore in which'a pump piston l6 is slidably mounted, said piston being provided with a plurality of spaced annular grooves for reducing leakage past said piston. The piston I6 is carried at one end of a rod H, which extends through a cavity IS in one side of the pump body and an axial bore provided in the top of the pump body. j

A spring seat I9 is mounted on the rod I1, and interposed between said seat and the upper end Wall of cavity I8 is a spring 29 for effecting discharge operation'ofthe pump 9, as will be here inafter described. The spring seat 'l9 is secured againstrelative movement to rod IT by spring 20, bymeans of a ring segment 2| carried ina suitable groove in the rod and locked therein by an overhanging portion 22 of the spring seat I9. The rod ll extends through the upper end of the' pump body, and an adjusting nut 23'and an adjusting nut lock nut 24 are provided on the end of the rod 1|! outside of the pump "body. A wear or striking plate 25 is'fitted over the rod i1 between the top end of the pump body and the underside'of the adjusting nut 23. It will be evident, that by changing the position of adjusting nut 23 on the rod ll, the movement of said rod and consequently the stroke of the pump piston It by the expansive action of spring 20, may be addusted. The wear plate 25 is provided to receive blows effected by engagement of the adjusting nut '23 upon the expansive action'of spring 20, the pump body 6 being unsatisfactory for this purpose, since it is preferably made of material not particularly resistant to being upset.

Anotch 26 is formed in the piston rod near its upper end, the upper end wall 21of' said notch being sloped for engagement with cain' operating means which will be hereinafter described. To permit engagement of said cam operating means in notch 26, the pump body'is cut away'as shown at 28, and in order to maintain the rod positioned for engagement with said cam operating means, a dowel 29'is mounted'in the red I! and slidably projects into a suitable groove 30 in the pump'body'.

'The borein which the pump piston I6 is slidably mounted, opensat its lower end into a chamber' 3|,intowhich the extended portion ID of the pump retaining nut 9 extends; The nut' 9 is provided with a chamber 32 open to'chamber 3|, and

a ball'check valve 33 is contained in chamber 32 and is adapted to close communication from chambers-32 and 3| to the bore containing the piston |6.' A spring 34 is interposed between check valve 33' and the bottom wall of chamber -32 for urging check 'valve 33 to its seat. chamber 32 is open through a passage 35 to an The oil discharge pipe 36 leading to wherever itis desired to supply lubricant,

A circular tapered boss 31, projecting from the pump body near the lower end thereof, is provided with a chamber 38 open at its lower end 'to the oil supply chamber of the lubricator. A

passage 39 connects to the top of chamber 38 and leads to the bore containing the pump piston, said passage sloping upwardly from chamber 38 to said bore. and opening into said bore at such a point asto be lapped by the piston l6 upon the initial movement of said piston in a downwardly 5 direction, that is, in the pumping stroke.

A plug 49, having screw-threaded engagement with the boss 31 within chamber 38, closes the open endof said chamber. The plug 49 is provided axially with a through passage 4| opening 10 into a chamber 42 formed within the plug, said chamber being freely'open to chamber 38. A ball check valve 43 contained in chamber 42, is adapted, due to gravity, to normally close communication from chamber 38 to passage 4| leading to the oil supply reservoir or chamber.

It will be noted, as shown inFig. '7, that the screw-threaded portion of plug is entirely below the plane of the seat engaged by the ball valve 43, so as to avoid, as far as possible, any tendency 20 to distort the seat when the plug is'screwed home.

A strainer 44, adapted to fit over the boss 31, is applied to said boss to prevent foreign matter from passing from the oil supply chamber to the pump 5, the taper of said boss and strainer being 25 such that friction between said boss and strainer will securely retain said strainer in place.

A bearing member 45 is removably secured to the upper end of the post-like portion 5 of the dividing wall 2, preferably by screw-threaded en- 30 gagement. The diameter of the bearing member 45 isless than that of the post 5, so as to provide a bearing shoulder 46. A member 4! is'rotatably mounted on member 45 against the shoulder 46 and is provided with a radially projecting sector 35 48. Around .the periphery of the sector 48 is provideda cam 49 adapted, upon rotation of the member 41, to pass through the notch 26 provided in the piston rods 11. The upper surface of the cam gradually slopes upwardlyin a direction 40 opposite to the direction of rotation of member 41 and is disposed in operative alignment with the end wall 21 of the notch 26 in the pump piston rods H, the' slope of said end wall being the same as that of the cam, to provide a considerable 45 bearing surface for engagement with the cam surface. It willbe evident, that as the cam 49 is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow in Figs. 2, 3 and 4, said cam will gradually raise 'the piston rod l1, and therefore, piston IS in an 50 'upward' direction and since the lower end of spring 20 moves with said piston rod, said spring will be compressed. .As most clearly shown in Fig.

'3, the cam 49 ends abruptly with the trailing edge 59 of the sector 48, so that when the cam turns out of engagement with surface 21 in the piston rod H, the compressive force of spring 20 will almost instantaneously return the piston rod I1 and piston I6 to their normal position, which is defined by engagement of the adjusting nut 23 60 .with the striking plate 25.

The cam carrying member 41 is provided at its upper end with a plurality of radiating ears 5|, and an inverted cup-shaped ratchet wheel 52 is secured to said ears by screws53, dowels 54 being provided in two of said ears and extending throughsuitable bores in said wheel for centering said wheel before applying the screws 53.

The ratchet wheel 52 is preferably made of sheet material pressed to the desired shape, with Ta flange 81 having ratchet teeth 55 formed therein. To form the ratchet teeth 55, a plurality of spaced slits are cut in the flange 81, corresponding with the number of teeth desired, the mate- .rial between the slits being twisted to thedesired lid acres-s6 angle :to form said teeth, itrbeing notedthat aireenforcing band '56 is ,retained-atithe basaofflange 8-1: for connecting .the :ends .of the .':teeth together, thereby :reenforcingv the "teeth; A ratchet wheel operating piston 57. is. -;con- :tainedin ran zoff-set portion :of :the lubrica'tor casing, said piston having aistemfifl :slidablyrextending into :a-suitable bore 591alsoaprovided inssaid casing, the fit. of said stemin said bore being such asto i provide a-dash: pot to cushion movementiof the piston 51: An 'operating'pawl. 60'is pivotally carried-by the stem 58ron:a.pin =6l, one

end of said "pawl being bent-so sas'zto engage. the

teeth 55: onthe ratchet wheel-52:. A spring 62 carried in a suitable bore in pist'on stem 58" acts upon-the pawl60 to maintain the;bent arm of said" pawl in operating engagement with the ratchet teeth.

For maintaining'the piston stem'i58 and-thereby the. operating'pawl 6-0 in workingalignment with the teeth'x55 of the ratchet wheel; a pin263 can'ied inthe casing projects. into: the slot 64' provided in the piston'stem; Ajspring 65surroundingz the pistonstem 58 is interposed between 1 the casing surrounding bore 59 and a col'lar 66 provided on said stemfor urging the" actuating piston: 51 to the positionshownin the drawings. The piston 57ris subject on one .face toatmospheric pressure intthe -oil supply chamber 4., as willlbe evident, while the other face of said-piston is subject to pressure in a controlichamber 61, .which is connected .tda pipe 68.

locking pawl '10 is contained inachamber in another" offset portion of the lubricating casing, :said pawl being pivotally: mounted on a pin II. The end of pawl 10 is bent to engage the-teeth 55 of the ratchet wheel '52 and a spring. I2 is interposed between-said pawl and the casing for holding the. .end'of'said pawl in engagement with said teeth.

The open top of the lubricator casing I is closed by acover' 13' which is provided centrally with an aperture' fitting over the screw-threaded end of the bearing-member 45. A. gasket 14' is interposed betweenthe top edge of the casing and cover I3 and said cover is compressed. against said gasket by "means; of a nut I5 applied to the screw-threaded end of the bearing member to prevent oil leakage from the chambers 3 'and I.

'I'he lubricatorcasing isprovided with a filling spout I6, asshownin Fig. 5,.- the' dividing wall 2, which separates oil supply chamber 3 from oil chamber-'4, extending into :said' spout to provide a channel 11 leading to oil supply chamber 3, and anotherand .separatechannel' I8 leading to the oil supply chamber 4, as shown in Fig; 3. By means of the-two separated channels in' the one spout, the oil chambers 3 and'4- may be filled with difierent types or grades of lubricant without danger of mixing.

The mouth of the filling spout 16 is closed by acover-Idcarrying a gasket 80:for effecting a seal around. said mouth. The cover 19' is. pivotally carried by a pin 8I secured in a lifter 82. The lifter 8-2. is pivotally mounted on a shaft 83 secured in'lugs 84 projecting fromthe casing, A' torsion spring; 85 is coiled on the shaft 83, one end'of said spring being anchored while-the other end acts; on the lifter 82 to maintain the cover 19 in the position closing the-=mouth of thespout 16.

The lubricator casingis provided with a plura-lity of -mounting lugs. 86 by; meansof which the lubricatormay; be mounted on any desired. support.

A check valve device I34 is associated with which oontainsa ball checkvalve" I36 adaptedto .55

"closepommunicationzfrom said chamber topipe 36 and thereby to the "connectedlubricator pump 6. The-open end ofichamber I35 is closed by an apertured plug I31, and 'a spring] 38 is'interposed between said' plug and the check valve" I36. It will beJ-noted that the check valve I36 is' arranged in the. discharge connection of the rerspective'lubri'cator pump inseries with the pump dischargevalve'33 for reasons which willr'be here- .Iinafter: described;

Inoperation, fluid under pressure is alternately suppliedto and vented from the piston chamber 61-, by way of pipe '68, in a series of successive cycles and in any desired manner. When -fluid under pressureis supplied to piston chamber 61, it) as just described; the piston 5! is moved'inward- 'ly against the opposing pressure of "spring 65, the movement of thepiston stem 58' into chamber 5-9 acting to compress the air in said chamber so as to prevent too rapid movement of piston 51 25 which might cause'breakageof parts. When the pressure in the lubricator piston chamber 6! is reduced, the force of spring--65 returns the piston '5I tc its normal position.

As the lubricator piston5l is moved inwardly, 33 the pawl 60 turns the ratchet wheel 52 in a direction indicated'by the arrow in Figs. 2, 3 and4, while the reverse movement-of said piston to its normal position is relative to the ratchet wheel 52 since "said wheel is locked against reverse movement by the locking pawl'IIl. It will be evident that for every cycle of operation of the piston 51, the lubri'cator ratchet wheel will be turned a predetermined degree.

As the ratchet wheel 52 is turned as just described, the cam 49, on sector ldengagingthe surface 27 onthe pump piston rod I1, lifts the piston I6 upwardly on its suctionstroke; which permits the chamber thuscreated below said piston to 'be'filled'with oil: from the oil supply 45 chamber; said oil flowing past the check valve 43*to' chamb'erj3-8 and thence through passage 39. When the trailing edge of sector 48 and the corresponding edge of the cam 49' move out of engagement with surface 21 on the pump piston 5o rod H, the spring 20, which was compressedon thesuction strokeof piston I6, acts to quickly move the piston I6 on its pumping stroke which acts'to force'the: oil from' the chamber below said piston'past the check valve 33 into the lubricator' pipe 36 and from thence, with pipe 36 'filled with oil, past'the' check valve I36 to wher- "ever lubricant is desired.

Itwill be evident fromFigs. 3 and 4', that two or more of the six pumps provided in the oil supply chambers 3 and 4 may be operating on the suction stroke at the same time, but all of the pumpsv operate. successively. one after the other to pump or force a predetermined'amount ofilubrica'ntinto the respective pipe 36 andfrom thence past, the check valve I36.

By means of the adjusting nut 231 near the top of each of the piston rods H, the. stroke. of

each pistonIB and consequently the amount .of oil pumped thereby may be individually regulated.. This-is desirable in that the amount of lubricant .necessaryfor adequate lubrication of vided to maintain pipe 36 filled with oil and thereby maintain the discharge check valve 33 in the oil pump'sealed with oil to'efiectively prevent air, steam or the like from flowing past check valve 33 to the chamber below the pump piston I6 when said piston is operated on its suction stroke. The suction stroke of piston I6 is slow so that any such leakage past the check valve 33- would be liable to cause. the pump to fail.

By. removing the lubricator cover 13 and ratchet wheel 52 and pump securing nut 9,.the pumps 6 may be individually removed for repair or replacement, orif less than six pumps are required in the lubricator, the opening in the lubricator which receives the nut 9 may be closed with a solid plug (not shown) and. theremaining pumps will then operate as intended since the operation of each individual pump is independent of that of the others.

The thickened or post-like portion of the dividing wall 2 is provided with a .bore I40 open through passage I4I at its lower end to oilsupply chamber 3 and open at its upper end to an axial bore I42 provided in the bearing member 45, the bore I 42 being open through a passage to an annular groove I43 provided around the exterior of bearing member 45. An oil wick I44, preferably of the well known type consisting of two fine wires twisted together and carry-" ing cotton fibres between the wires extends from the bottom of bore I40. through bore I421 into groove I43 and therein is wrapped around the bearing member 45. By means of capillary action, oil is carried up the wick I44 to groove I43 and from thence flows onto and'lubricates the bearing surfaces between bearing member 45 and the rotatable member 41. Another oil wick I45 extends through bores I40 and I42 and. from thence through another passage in the bearing member 45, which passage leads toan annular groove formed in the exterior surface of said bearing member above the ratchet wheel 52,:and in said annular groove the wick I45 is-wound around the bearing member 45. By means of the wick I45 oil is drawn to the top of the ratchet wheel 52, over which it is adapted to creep to the ratchet wheel teeth 55 thereby providing lubricant between said teeth and the engaging ends of the pawls 60 and "Ill. 7

It will be noted that my improved lubricator is simple in construction,.and the parts are read-- ilyaccessible for removal or replacement, each of the oil pumps is individually adjustable to regulate the amount of oil pumped and is individually removable, all of the operating parts are contained within the lubricator casing and means are provided for lubricating these parts. Only two oil chambers and six pumps are employed to illustrate the invention, but it will be evident that the lubricator casing may be divided to provide more individual oil chambers if desired and the number of pumps employed oil supply chamber, a lubricant pump mounted in said chamber with one end removably secured to the bottom wall of said casing, a member extending upwardly from said bottom wall,

. in position. 5

I Z. A lubricator comprising a casing having an oil supply chamber, a lubricant pump mounted in said chamber with 'one end removably secured to the bottom'wallof said casing, a member extending upwardly from said bottom Wall, and a dowel associated with said member adapted to engage in a bore in said pump near the other end of said pump in the act of positioning said pump in said casing, to hold said pump rigidly in position. 7 3. A lubricator comprising a casing having an oil supplychamber, a lubricant pump mounted in said chamber and comprising a body member having aligned bores and a recess intermediate said bores, a piston working in one bore, a piston rod working in the other bore and extending through said recess and operatively connected to said piston, a spring mounted insaid recess and acting on said rod to urge said rod to move said piston in one direction, a rotatable cam adapted to engage said rod for moving said rod and piston in .theopposite direction, and coacting means. in said body member and rod for maintaining said :piston rod in operative alignment with said cam. 4. A lubricator comprising a casing havingan oil supply chamber, a lubricator pump mounted in said chamber and comprising a body member having aligned bores, a piston working in one .bore, a piston rod working in the other bore and $5 tion, a rotatable cam'for urging said piston rod and pistongin the opposite direction, said piston rod having a notch providing a shoulder adapted to be engaged by said cam, said. body member having an opening through which'said cam extends to engage said shoulder, and means associated with said body member and piston rod for maintaining said piston rod in operative relation to said cam.

5. A lubricator comprising a casing having an oil supply chamber, a member extending upwardly from the bottom wall of said chamber, a plurality of individual oil pumps arranged concentric-ally 5 around said member, rotatable means associated with said member for operating said pumps on their suction stroke, pressure exerting means for operating said pumps on their pumping stroke, an inverted cup-shaped ratchet wheel secured to "said rotatable means and extending downwardly .over the top of said pumps, and pressure actuated 'means for rotating said ratchet wheel. i

' 6. A lubricator comprising a casing having an oil supply chamber, amember extending upwardly from the bottom wall of said chamber, a plurality of individual oil pumps arranged concentrically around said member, bearing means secured to said member, cam means rotatably carried by said bearingmeans for controlling the operation of'said pumps, afratchet wheel secured tosaid cam means, .said member having a passage opening into said oil supply chamber and leading to a passage in said bearing means, the last mentioned passage leading to the bearing between said cam 'means'and bearing means and also tothe top surface of said ratchet wheel, and wickmeans extending from the bottom'of the oil supply chamher to said bearing and to the top of said ratchet '7. A lubricator comprising a hollow casing having a partition wall dividing the interior of said casing into two separate oil chambers for holding different types or grades of oil, an oil pump in one of said chambers for pumping oil only from said chamber to a point of lubrication, an oil pump in the other chamber for pumping oil only from the last mentioned chamber to a different point of lubrication, cam means carried by said partition wall for controlling the successive operation of both of said pumps, a cover enclosing said chambers, pumps, and cam means, a filling spout projecting from one side of said casing, said partition Wall extending into said spout and providing one channel leading to one of the oil supply chambers and another and separate channel leading to the other oil supply chamber, and a cover for closing the mouth of said filling spout.

8. A lubricator comprising a casing having an oil supply chamber, a post-like member carried by the bottom wall of said chamber and extending upwardly therein, a plurality of individual oil pumps arranged concentrically around said postlike member and removably secured to the bottom wall of said chamber, coacting means associated with said bottom wall and each of said pumps for positioning said pumps in said chamber, means remote from said bottom wall securing said pumps to said post-like member, and rotatable means carried by said post-like member for controlling the operation of said pumps.

9. A lubricator comprising a casing having an oil supply chamber, a post-like member carried by the bottom wall of said chamber and extending upwardly therein, a plurality of individual oil pumps arranged concentrically around said post-like member and removably secured to the bottom wall of said chamber, coaoting means associated with said bottom wall and each of said pumps for positioning said pumps in said chamber, means remote from said bottom wall securing said pumps to said post-like member, a bearing member secured in the outer end of said postlike member, a cam member rotatably mounted on said bearing member and operative upon rot-ation to control the operation of said oil pumps, and means for operating said cam member.

10. A lubricator comprising a casing having an oil supply chamber, a post-like member carried by the bottom wall of said chamber and extending upwardly therein, a plurality of individual oil pumps arranged concentrically around said postlike member and removably secured to the bottom wall of said chamber, coacting means associated with said bottom wall and each of said pumps for positioning said pumps in said chamber, means remote from said bottom wall securing said pumps 5 to said post-like member, rotatable means carried by said post-like member for controlling the operation of said pumps, the upper side of said chamber being open, and a removable cover secured to said bearing member and closing the upper side of said chamber.

11. A lubricator comprising a casing having an oil supply chamber, an oil pump secured to said casing within said chamber, rotatable cam means carried by said casing for controlling the operation of said pump, a gear wheel carried by said cam means, and means for rotating said gear wheel comprising a piston reciprocatively mounted in a bore in said casing, a pawl associated with said piston and engaging said gear wheel and operative by said piston to turn said gear wheel, and means for maintaining said pawl in operative alignment with said gear.

12. A lubricator comprising a casing having an oil supply chamber, an oil pump secured to said casing within said chamber, rotatable cam means carried by said casing for controlling the operation of said pump, a gear Wheel carried by said cam means, means for rotating said gear wheelcomprising a piston reciprocatively mounted in a bore in said casing, a stem carried by said piston and slidably extending into a bore in said casing, a pawl adapted to engage one side of said piston and movable by direct contact therewith for turning said gear wheel, and means associated with said stem and carrying said pawl.

13. A lubricator comprising a casing having an oil supply chamber, an oil pump secured to said casing within said chamber, rotatable cam means carried by said casing for controlling the opera- 40 tion of said pump, a gear wheel carried by said cam means, means for rotating said gear Wheel comprising a piston reciprocatively mounted in a bore in said casing, a stem carried by said piston and slidably extending into a bore in said casing, a pawl carried by said stem and operated by said piston for turning said gear wheel, said stem having a longitudinal slot, and a pin carried by the casing and loosely extending into said slot for maintaining said pawl in operative alignment with said gear.

CLYDE C. FARMER. 

